Redemption: The Tale of the Warlock
by Shinobi of the Satchigan
Summary: A Warlock sells his soul for the power to save a loved one from death. During the rescue attempt, she is killed accidentally. Now follow him on a quest to redeem himself, facing adversaries from his own kind, to allies from the Alliance. Story is better than the summary, trust me. R&R please!


Disclaimer - I do not own WoW or anything that seems familiar to the readers, except Escalus. I came up with the idea of this story while playing my Warlock and listening to Hopeless and Dear Agony, both by Breaking Benjamin. Enjoy reading.

Escalus collapsed on the ground, totally spent. A heavy iron boot roughly kicked him over onto his back, hatred meeting his eyes. He glared at his enemy with all the hatred he could muster, but he knew it was all in vain. He was going to die. Suddenly a thought struck him. _Lydia!_

His fiancé was here as well, that meant that she would die, like him. His panic must have showed on his face, because a human voice laughed at him. "Worried about your friend, elf?" The gruff voice said in halting Thalassaan. Frantically Escalus looked around, not caring for the human's taunts. Finally his eyes befell his beloved, and his eyes widened. A dwarf with plate armor and a notched axe was fitting a noose around her neck.

"No! Take me instead! Please!" He shouted, his desperation evident in his voice. The man only laughed. "I will take you both!" He said with a sneer. "After what you Horde filth did to my family, you have the audacity to beg me for mercy? You shall all die!" He shouted.

He pushed Escalus, and positioned him at an angle that allowed him to see Lydia from where he sat. The man took a sadistic pleasure at Escalus' sorrow. As the Dwarf lifted Lydia onto a box, and prepared to kick it out from under her, and allow her to swing from an old church's rafters, their eyes met. Escalus tried to pour all of his love for the elf in his gaze, before it was broken by the dwarf putting a sack over Lydia's face. As he drew his foot back, time seemed to stop for Escalus.

A strange voice entered the young blood elf's mind, filled with malice and power. **Escalus,** It said, it's voice reverberating throughout the poor Warlock's skull. **These soldiers, these beasts, are about to destroy the only living being that you still love.** Escalus flinched. How did it know that? The voice chuckled. **Please, I've been delving into the minds of the living for far to long; the ones that communicate with the Nether are the easiest to read. But that's besides the point; I can give you the power to stop them, to rescue your beloved. For a price, of course.** Escalus mentally stiffened. Pacts with demons, as this voice seemed to be, were not encouraged, not with unknown demons, anyways. Escalus looked to Lydia, frozen in place. He would do anything for her, he realized.

_Name your price._ He said to the demon inside his head.

**Don't get carried away,** The voice chided. **It isn't smart to say that you'll pay anything for what you want. Either way, my price is hefty. I'm not sure you have the stones to go through with it.**

_If it will save Lydia, I'll pay anything you want._ Escalus answered.

**I see you're serious,** The voice sounded bemused. **Very well, my price is… your soul.** Escalus froze. It wanted his soul? But that was priceless! Losing it to a demon cut your flow of magic to all except the Nether. You could become extremely powerful, but once you died, you became the demon's slave forever. Escalus mentally nodded. _I'll do it._ The voice seemed satisfied.

After a moment, Escalus felt tremendous energy within him again, and his bonds were cut. **There, you now have the power to defeat these enemies,** The voice said as it started to fade away. **But be careful of this power, left unchecked, and it will consume your heart.** Escalus was about to ask what the voice meant, when he noticed time start again. He bared his teeth as fury built within him. With a sudden burst of demonic power, he was at Lydia's side, the dwarf's head falling to the blackened earth.

He quickly got Lydia down, when a stabbing pain erupted in Escalus' kidney. It felt like a spear. Turning, he lashed at whatever it was without thinking, and was surprised when blood splattered his face. When he had swiped his most recent victim, he noticed that his hand seemed to be clawed, and pulsing with demonic energy. This was the power he had been granted. Smirking, he advanced on the Alliance troops, showing no mercy to any, slaughtering all. Everything seemed to fall into a pattern: Slash, block, dodge, lunge, shred, slash, etc. After what seemed like an eternity, no enemies stood before the Warlock. He felt his power fade, not permanently, but until he had need of it again. Only a few Warlocks had done what he had, and their power always returned to them in their hour of need. He sagged to his knees, drained but happy.

Lydia was safe and - Where was Lydia? She wasn't by his side, and a quick view of the surrounding area didn't show her. Escalus shakily got up and searched for her. _The stress got to her. That's all, she just fainted._ He kept repeating in his mind. Stepping through blood and guts, he continued his search. As he continued, his foot impacted something hard in the earth. Looking down, he noticed a beautiful ring set with an emerald and carved to show a wreath of flowers around the band. _No…_ was all Escalus could think; This was the engagement ring he had given Lydia, and it was lying in a pile of ash. "No!" He shouted to the heavens. "Demon! You said it would save her! You promised!" Tears flowing freely, Escalus' vision began to fade, and he blacked out.

_One Year Earlier_

A young Blood Elf sat alone in a carriage pulled by beautiful Hawkstriders. He had messy blonde hair that reached just above his shoulders, and eyes as gray as a storm cloud. "Are you alright, young Escalus?" The driver of the carriage asked suddenly. "It isn't everyday that we have young adults like you hear the Nether speak to them. When we get to Silvermoon, if you are deemed worthy, you will become a Warlock!" The driver sounded so excited, Escalus thought that maybe he thought that he was going to be the Warlock. "I'm fine, sir," Escalus responded. "Just a little homesick."

The driver chuckled. "Many of us are, when we take our first steps away from home." Escalus sighed, and began to stare out of the carriage windows again. The countryside of the Eversong Woods seemed to blur before Escalus, making him become drowsy. When he awoke, the carriage was stopped outside of a glorious city with beautiful roads and buildings, and many people going to and fro. _This must be Silvermoon,_ Escalus thought. "Don't worry, son," The driver said from the outside of the carriage. Opening the doors and allowing Escalus to leave the carriage, he continued; "You'll make many friends here lad. Silvermoon is a great place. Working for the Horde as a Warlock will be the most exciting and fun thing you'll ever do. You'll enjoy every moment of it." Escalus looked up as the carriage driver left to wherever they went once their tasks were completed. The sky was dark, and rain was threatening to fall. _The sky doesn't agree with the man, _Escalus thought to himself as he walked towards the location of the Warlock trainer. _It tells me that I'll have extreme sadness while doing this._ Mentally he laughed. _But I'm not a superstitious person; What could possibly go wrong?_

And that's a wrap! I would write more, but I've been up for ages, and the realm of sleep is calling me. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. The next chapter should be up within the next few days. Cheers!


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